Fifty Moments Between First Kiss and Life
by BrokenChosenofEva
Summary: Fifty thoughts, fifty scenes. Fifty times Hikari and Kensuke remember. Following the two through the original series and my "Returned" AU, other AUs possible. Second in the "One Hundred Moments Frozen in Time" series.
1. First Kiss with a Stranger

**Neon Genesis Evangelion**  
**Fifty Moments Frozen in Time**  
**By BrokenChosenofEva**

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Title: First Kiss with a Stranger  
Prompt: set 50-A / prompts 001-010  
Word Count: 1k+  
Rating: T  
Summary: Fifty thoughts, fifty scenes. Fifty times Hikari and Kensuke remember. Following the two through the original series and my "Returned" AU, other AUs possible.

Disclaimer: I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion

Notes: I couldn't stop myself, just had to keep following Hikari and Kensuke! This, also, is for you _**Tasermon's Partner**_, my Dearest Reader.

Second in the "One Hundred Moments Frozen in Time" series.

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001\. First Kiss  
Hikari was never sure that Kensuke could remember when they first met in primary school at ten-years-old, and on some level she supposed she didn't want him to, the memory was embarrassing but sweet, and she recalled it not long after she kissed him at the end of their third date; she'd been shy and scared, not knowing anyone at the school, and Kensuke -bookish then instead of an Otaku- had held her hand and lead her around the whole day, ending with an innocent kiss before dashing off to his waiting parents.

002\. Final  
Exams had been stressful, all the more for the pointed and painful lack of Touji and the need to prod him into studying, and on some level finding out Kensuke had aced the finals was bittersweet, because she knew her only remaining childhood friend would be leaving for NERV Officer School in a couple of weeks and she didn't know if she'd be able to see him after that, but she was proud of him as well knowing he was pursuing his dreams.

003\. Numb  
Kensuke felt so numb after hearing Touji had died, mind frozen in a painful circle of denial and acceptance, and while he was glad he found Hikari in her recovery room with only minor burns, scraps and bruises, when he stepped up to her and she grabbed him into a hug like he was going to disappear at any moment he broke, tears pouring from his eyes to match her own, and they held each other like the world was ending.

004\. Broken Wings  
For a while Kensuke had been worried Hikari was just going through the motions, finishing college and working in a café like she'd wanted, but he'd know her long enough to know she was hurting, and it hurt that he could think of nothing he could do to help her, forced to watch her struggle with her broken wings and only able to offer his presence once he returned from Officer School and was stationed at NERV Tokyo-3.

005\. Melody  
Kensuke sat at the table with his coffee, silently enjoying the sound of Hikari's voice as she waddled around the kitchen six-months pregnant, alternately humming and singing a happy tune they'd heard on the radio when they'd left her check-up last week, the woman unaware of her captive audience.

006\. Rules  
His military training, even if it wasn't technically considered true military being that NERV was considered a PMC, had instilled the importance of rules and following them, but for Hikari he'd always made an exception, allowing his friend to use Touji's Pilot Access to enter the base to visit him or the Cages to stare at Unit-Three, and the revelation she'd brought one evening when she'd visited Unit-One instead had given them the final piece to retrieving Shinji and made the risk worth it.

007\. Chocolate  
Kensuke stared at the box of chocolates, blinking in a moment of confusion before snapping out of it and taking them from Hikari's outstretched hands, smiling at her as she took the seat across from him while he sat in a booth at her café, a mix of surprise and happiness at a gesture they hadn't exchanged in decades.

008\. Nostalgia  
Kensuke didn't drink anymore and Hikari didn't cry, time having turned once painful memories of their lost friend to moments of shared nostalgia, content to sit beside each other at the Over-Look under an ancient oak tree and reminisce.

009\. Heartbeat  
Hikari felt dampness on her cheeks, the sense of awe and wonder mixing with a joy so powerful that it poured out in her smile and tears, as she and Kensuke listened to the fast little heartbeat picked up by the ultrasound and watched as the first imagines of their child appeared on the screen beside them, the doctor smiling with them as he asked if they wanted the gender to be a surprise.

010\. Stranger  
Walking through NERV for the first time in centuries, Kensuke couldn't calm the knot in his chest as he encountered new faces around every corner, and looking over the renovated Central Dogma from what had been his desk lifetimes ago he finally let out a shuddering breath as he sat in the Commander's chair and put his face in his hands, remembering again the reason he rarely came here, hating the feeling of being a stranger in what had once been his own home.

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A/N: I honestly couldn't help myself. lol

This and the first Fifty Moments are a 100 Prompts collection I'm calling "One Hundred Moments Frozen in Time", previously called "Fifty Moment Between Horaki and Aida". I hope you enjoy this second leg of the journey.

PMC stands for Private Military Contractor/Corporation, basically civilian agencies that provided well-trained armed personnel for escort and site defense among other services. Search it for more/better info.

The Over-Look is the same spot on the side of a hill/mountain overlooking Tokyo-3 that I've mentioned time and again, an oak tree slightly off to the side and the road behind with an area just large enough for a pair of cars to park and a guard rail at the edge.


	2. Confusing Tomorrow

**Neon Genesis Evangelion**  
**Fifty Moments Frozen in Time**  
**By BrokenChosenofEva**

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Title: Confusing Tomorrows  
Prompt: set 50-A / prompts 011-020  
Word Count: 1,100+  
Rating: T  
Summary: Fifty thoughts, fifty scenes. Fifty times Hikari and Kensuke remember. Following the two through the original series and my "Returned" AU, other AUs possible.

Disclaimer: I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion

Notes: I spoke to soon, Tasermon's Partner, first prompt in this chapter and the idea for a Kensuke meets Touji popped up. lol

Second in the "One Hundred Moments Frozen in Time" series.

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011\. Confusion  
Kensuke looked at the boy standing protectively between him and the school-yard bullies who had been harrassing him, confused as to why the bigger boy would be helping him until he yelled at the others, "Ya betteh leave my friend alone, or I'll tell duh class-rep," which sent the two others from their class scurrying off before he turned around and Kensuke recognized him as Touji, "Hikari's my friend too, Glasses, so I gotta keep yuz safe too."

012\. Bitter  
He was not bitter, not a bit, that Hikari was spending more time with their friend Touji instead of him; they're in middle school, he had nothing to be bitter about, and he totally understood how cool the other boy was -after all they were _all three_ best friends- especially compared to him, when all he did was read military history and help Hikari get Touji to study, and Touji was into sports and stuff.

013\. Afterlife  
"Will I see you there?" the old woman on the bed whispered, lids closed over sightless grey eyes, as Hikari held a wrinkled hand in her own smooth ones, tears pouring from her eyes as she answered, "Of course you will, we'll be right behind you; we just have to make sure everyone else gets there too, just like when we would visit Asuka and Shinji," the old woman sighed, relieved, and smiled through her last words, "Okay, mama; don't take too long."

014\. Daybreak  
Since joining NERV Kensuke always rose before the sun, so it was a wonderful surprise one morning when Hikari woke up at her normal time to prepare for the day and found Kensuke still asleep beside her, his first morning off since they'd married, and she watched him sleep as the morning sun washed over Tokyo-3.

015\. Audience  
Ever since the night Asuka had used her AT-Field to share a memory with her, Hikari had become acutely aware of when people she cared about were close-by, and used this to her advantage whenever Kensuke was around; she knew he enjoyed hearing her voice, so when she felt him approaching one morning when she had let herself inside his apartment to make him breakfast for his birthday after they'd been dating for a year, she started humming a song, enjoying having him for a captive audience while she cooked.

016\. Endless Sorrow  
Hikari laid in bed, the hospital sheets itchy against her skin but ignored, feeling like she was drowning as the scene of Touji running to her and being swallowed by a ball of fire kept playing over and over in her mind as tears continued to flow from her eyes, and when Kensuke entered the room, his empty eye's filling with relief at seeing her, she grabbed him with all the strength she could gather when he was in reach and cried unashamedly into his shoulder, feeling like the sorrow would never end.

017\. Fireworks  
"Mama, Papa, fireworks!" the five-year-old girl cheered as the first flashes filled the sky and were soon followed by the boom and crackle of each spread of twinkling fire, and Hikari shared a smile with Kensuke as he held their daughter on his shoulders and she held the hand of their two-year-old, the little boy watching with wide-open eyes glinting in wonder.

018\. Wishing  
When they were younger, still in middle school but preparing to move up to junior-high, the three of them made a promise and wished on a star to always be friends and to stay in touch no matter what; years later, after befriending Shinji and later Asuka, after living through the Angel Wars, Hikari recalled the promise they'd made during Touji's funeral and broke down, crying hard into Kensuke's shoulder and sobbing out the wish they'd made, and hearing her words slammed into Kensuke and pulled tears from his eyes to match the river flowing from hers.

019\. Happy Birthday to You  
They had long out-grown celebrating their own birthdays, the accomplishment of surviving Post-Impact wore off when living for centuries, but they always made sure to surprise their children with a party and a few gifts, ending the day with a cake Hikari had made in their kitchen.

020\. Tomorrow  
Hikari looked at three -no four, she could barely see them- faint white lines across her left wrist, remembering the years following Touji's death and all the nights she cried herself to sleep or spent in front of a mirror, often with something sharp in her right hand, but also remembering one night when she'd woken from a nightmare and forgotten Kensuke was spending the night after a long study session for a test coming up before the end of their junior year in college, and was never more glad than now for him hearing her sobs and coming in to hold her until the sun rose.

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A/N: Prompt 016. "Endless Sorrow" was a hard one, as I'd done a few dealing with how the pair handled losing Touji, but then I realized I hadn't done one from Hikari's perspective of the Hospital Scene.

Prompt 018. "Wishing" was another hard one because I knew I wanted to have them share a promise, but wasn't sure how to go about it. Then I thought of "wishing on a star", and it flowed from there.

Prompt 020. "Tomorrow" was difficult not because I _didn't_ know what to write, but because of _what_ I was writing about. Suicide is a terrifying topic to me because of how much I value the life of the people I know and love.  
This prompt occurs after the end of chapter four of my story "Returned", as Hikari is preparing for another date with Kensuke.

Sorry for all the Angst/Tragedy in this one, though I know there was plenty in the last set of fifty. I hope it was bittersweet, and worth reading, especially 020. "Tomorrow". I want anyone who reads it to know that, just like Hikari, there is always a brighter tomorrow waiting if you hold on and reach out to people around you. If you're the one being reached out towards, then reach back and hold tight, and don't ever let go. We aren't meant to handle the world alone, it isn't weakness, so don't let yourself or others be alone. To paraphrase Prompt 003. "Sanctuary" from the Asuka/Touji series, "...needing [help]...is about wisdom and not weakness".


	3. Oppression Underneath

**Neon Genesis Evangelion**  
**Fifty Moments Frozen in Time**  
**By BrokenChosenofEva**

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Title: Oppression Underneath  
Prompt: set 50-A / prompts 021-030  
Word Count: 800+  
Rating: T  
Summary: Fifty thoughts, fifty scenes. Fifty times Hikari and Kensuke remember. Following the two through the original series and my "Returned" AU, other AUs possible.

Disclaimer: I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion

Notes:

Third in the "One Hundred Moments Frozen in Time" series.

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021\. Oppression  
The years following Touji's death held Hikari in an oppressive cycle of depression and self-blame, interspersed with soul wounding sorrow, and she sometimes wondered even years later how she had ever managed to climb out of those dark day, but a glance at Kensuke reminded her she hadn't so much climbed as she was pulled out.

022\. Agony  
Agony always thrummed through him when he watched Hikari accept their children's last breath, the pain fresh each time a beloved child died before them no matter the reason, and each time he buried it while comforting her, waiting until they were home before allowing his own sorrow to overcome him and let Hikari be the one to give comfort.

023\. Return  
Kensuke shared a brilliant, tear-filled smile with Hikari as they watched Asuka greet the newly returned Shinji, both of them having missed the other Pilot almost as much as the redhead had, and feeling like the world really was right once more.

024\. Protection  
Hikari was mortified at the item sitting in the bottom of the box Asuka had given her for her bridal shower, staring at her grinning friend with her jaw on the floor, before her shocked expression shifted to angry and she leapt across the room screaming how indecent it was.

025\. Boxes  
The number of boxes astounded Kensuke as he and Hikari sorted through them on the living-room floor of their new house, but he dared not point out how many of them were full of his wife's things, knowing he really shouldn't be surprised; Hikari was a woman moving into her first real house with her husband, of course she would have brought all the things she'd have wanted or thought she needed for what was a massive milestone in both their lives.

026\. Hope  
Hikari knew that sometimes having hope hurt, she'd watched Asuka enough before Shinji's return to know, but even centuries later -after watching so many of their children die- Hikari found that hope was the first and brightest feeling to flare in her heart as she shared a smile with Kensuke when she told him she was pregnant.

027\. Preparation  
"I hate these things," Hikari looked up from her 'comfy chair' sitting in the corner under the sun-filled bay window in their living-room at Kensuke's vehemently whispered comment, watching him studiously ignoring both her and the small instruction booklet beside his knees as he worked to assemble the infant crib, giggling as she said, "I told you to use the instructions."

028\. Beautiful  
They say "beauty is in the eye of the beholder", and every time Kensuke looked at his wife, every time he looked at their children, no matter how many years -and then centuries- passed them by, he saw the same thought in their eyes echoing back: I love you, and you're beautiful.

029\. Lies  
"You don't mind it that I'm spending time with Touji-kun, do you Ken-chan?" Kensuke fought to keep his expression controlled and neutral, something he was good at from dealing with bullies before Touji became his friend last year, and managed a convincing smile for his best female friend, "Of course not 'Kari-chan, you know I enjoy a little time to myself for reading too."

030\. Underneath  
While it often bothered Hikari to see other react to her immortality, Kensuke always got a small amount of amusement from watching people look him in the eye and sense just how _old_ he was underneath the appearance of a thirty-something year old man, even -or especially- when they already knew he was one of the Immortals that survived Third Impact along with the Pilots, seeing the twitch or jump of realization and jerking back from him when he laughed off whatever comment they tried to make on it.

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A/N: Prompt 021. "Oppression" was very difficult for me to figure out, I was at a lost as to what to write for it concerning Kensuke and Hikari, then I looked at the dictionary definition.

Prompt 029. "Lies" ties in with Prompt 012. "Bitter", again looking into their life pre-series. Yes, prompt 012 was not written in satire, but Kensuke's serious point-of-view at the time.

Prompt 030. "Underneath" was an odd one to write. I knew -after a fashion- what was going to be written down, but the feel of it seems darker than I think Kensuke is or would be even after centuries alive. Then I remembered that everyone has dark times, moments -or months- where they find themselves rolling in darker emotions, like it's a soothing balm even as it burns them, until someone reaches out and takes hold of them. Which Hikari does for Kensuke. This prompt kind of ties in with Prompt 010. "Stranger".


	4. Hidden Foolishness

**Neon Genesis Evangelion**  
**Fifty Moments Frozen in Time**  
**By BrokenChosenofEva**

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Title: Hidden Foolishness  
Prompt: set 50-A / prompts 031-040  
Word Count: 800+  
Rating: T  
Summary: Fifty thoughts, fifty scenes. Fifty times Hikari and Kensuke remember. Following the two through the original series and my "Returned" AU, other AUs possible.

Disclaimer: I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion

Notes: Almost forgot to put in notes. lol.  
Only one more post to go, dear readers, and it sure has been a wild ride hasn't it? I can't wait to see how the next set plays out, and I'm the one writing!

Fourth in the "One Hundred Moments Frozen in Time" series.

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031\. Hide  
Kensuke buried his emotions again, not even bothering to sort them out, as he watched Touji continue to be completely oblivious to Hikari's advances, their friend offering in a round-about fashion to bring him a lunch the next day, and wished for a moment that he was more outgoing and less willing to hide in the background and watch his best friends dance around each other.

032\. Diary  
Hikari closed her notebook, the ink dry after she'd spent several minutes reading what was in the most recent entry over again, and set it in the drawer of her desk in her and Kensuke's home office, the two of them prefering to do paperwork at home whenever possible, and repeated in her mind the last line in her diary: _I can't wait to tell him, I'm still buzzing with excitement; our first child!_

033\. Unforeseen  
Sitting in the cafe with Asuka and Touji both Hikari and Kensuke stare at their friends in shock for a moment before congratulating them whole-heartedly, happy for them and with them over Asuka's pregnancy.

034\. Conditional  
In the centuries they'd lived the two of them had developed a set of unspoken behaviors and habits when dealing with people who didn't know or realize they were _the_ Hikari and Kensuke Horaki from the Angel War of 2015, the first being not to bring it up but to honestly answer if they were asked; trust, after all, was conditional.

035\. Gone  
NERV-Terra had failed; despite all the lessons learned and brilliant personnel the organization had, nothing could stop mankind from finding some way to start a fight, and this time it burned across the surface of the planet, pulling tears in what felt like unending streams from Ken and Hikari's eyes as they watched from high orbit with the other fleeing NERV and civilian ships.

036\. Clear Skies  
They knew it was where Tokyo-3 once stood only because of the geo-stationary satellite above them, the Geofront -torn open centuries ago by the SEELE attack on HQ- now a circular lake hiding the rebuilt city in its depths and the terrain now returned to young, healthy forests, with clear blue skies dotted by clouds; it would be here, Kensuke had told her, that Humanity would start from when they returned to their homeworld.

037\. Heartache  
Sakura watched her parents flip through an old album, so old it was an actual book with real pictures and not a tablet with holograms, and even from her place around the corner several feet away she could feel the heartache as they paused on certain pages, and she knew they were looking at images of their long lost friend.

038\. Wired  
Kensuke blinked as he took in the sight of Hikari trying to corral their four-year-old, the little girl hyped up on sugar after visiting Hikari's older sister, and amusedly realized Kodama must have done it on purpose just for the laughs Kensuke knew they'd share the next time they visited.

039\. Insanity  
_This wasn't happening_, this was the thought that raced through Hikari's mind as she Piloted her Unit-Zero while watching Kensuke and Touji in their Units-Two and One struggling with the out of control Unit-Three that held Asuka inside, the whole situation completely outside her ability to believe.

040\. Foolish  
Kensuke watched Hikari verbally lash out at Major Misato, the older woman struggling to contain her own anger as she winced at the venom in his friend's voice, the whole situation with Asuka and Unit-Three putting everyone on edge, and the revelation that Commander Kozo had _known_ it would go rogue made it worse, and he realized they'd all been played for fools.

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A/N: Prompt 34 "Conditional" took _forever_ to figure out, but once it was done the rest came relatively easily. Prompts 35 and 36 are connected, with 36 referencing "Returned" and how T-3 was rebuilt inside the exposed Geofront. Prompt 39 and 40 also took a bit to get down, both of them dealing with an AU where the Trio are Pilots while Shinji and Asuka are the "normal" kids that they befriend.

Something I was asked in either "Fifty Moments Between Rain and Instrumentality" or "Fifty Moments Between Mistakes and Eternity" was how I get my Writer's Choice prompts. To answer that, I simply pick words I feel are what I want to use for the last Prompt(s).

If any of my readers wish to use one of my prompt sentences for a oneshot or full story, just message me when you post it so I can read it. I'd love to see what you do with it. ^_^


	5. Words to Live-By

**Neon Genesis Evangelion**  
**Fifty Moments Frozen in Time**  
**By BrokenChosenofEva**

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Title: Words to Live-by  
Prompt: set 50-A / prompts 041-050  
Word Count: 1k+  
Rating: T  
Summary: Fifty thoughts, fifty scenes. Fifty times Hikari and Kensuke remember. Following the two through the original series and my "Returned" AU, other AUs possible.

Disclaimer: I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion

Notes: Well, here we are Dear Readers. The Final installment of "One Hundred Moments Frozen in Time". And what a journey it has been! I'm so glad you've all enjoyed it, especially you **Tasermon's Partner**, you've been a really inspiration and a joy to hear from every time I update.

I might, in the future, go through and expand some of these Prompts into oneshots, or string them together and flesh them out into their own drabble series. Which might eventually become their own full stories like "Pilot's Table" lead to "Angel" which turned into "I'm Needed: Redux" and "Not What You Bargained For". No promises, but I doubt I'm done with Hikari and Kensuke. ^_^

Fifth, and final, in the "One Hundred Moments Frozen in Time" series.

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041\. Words  
When their first child spoke his first words, Hikari felt like she had never been more excited, in fact she had been so excited she had called Kensuke in the middle of his morning briefing with Commander Katsuragi, and her husband had been equally excited, announcing to the amusment of everyone in the meeting -either in person or over video conference- and earning a round of congratulations.

042\. Study  
Studying without the constant complaining of Touji was jarring the first semester in college, pulling tears from Hikari's eyes and leaving Kensuke staring into the distance, and while the hurt never left they redoubled their effort to excel knowing Touji would have even as he complained.

043\. Punctual  
Kensuke never thought the ever punctual Hikari could manage to be late to anything until he went to pick her up for their One Year Anniversary date and she made them nearly fifteen minutes late for dinner, but how she looked when she stepped into the room and how she effortlessly drew the eyes of everyone twenty minutes later when the waiter seated them was worth every second.

044\. Piggybank  
"How much do I has?" Kensuke blinked at the bright pink piggybank he suddenly found shoved before his face, looking passed it to his four year old daughter and into her big chocolate puppy eyes, and knew he'd be making a trip to the store regardless of what she had saved up.

045\. Shooting Star  
Hearing their children giggle and squeal at every shooting star that raced across the sky brought smiles to Hikari and Kensuke's faces, the happiness over-shadowing the bitter-sweet memory of a promise made on a shooting star years ago.

046\. Writer's Choice "Story"  
Story time was always fun, even when their children became old enough to understand the Angel Wars, and Kensuke always made sure he was home from NERV in time to put them to bed and tell them at least one story.

047\. Writer's Choice "First Step"  
As Hikari looked back through her life, in her mind or as she turned pages of her many photo albums, she always had the clearest memories of the many first steps of her life, from her first date with Touji to their first 'I love you', from the first time she confided in Kensuke to the first time she kissed him, from her first birth to their child's first words, every first shone bright and clear in her memory.

048\. Writer's Choice "Breathe Deep"  
Everyone experienced their own world in Instrumentality, but few could recall the sense of falling and loneliness that came with escaping those false worlds, and the need to breathe deeply as they surfaced near the beach, swimming and clawing their way out of the dreams and back into reality.

049\. Writer's Choice "Time"  
A thousand years they'd wandered, exploring creation with each other and raising children out among the stars, but as they felt the clock ticking in their very souls they sent a final 'goodbye' and 'I love you' to their friends and children, and flew their ship beyond the rim to explore that final adventure.

050\. Writer's Choice "Life"  
Hikari opened heavy eyes, the bright golden light blinding her for a moment as she sat up, and as she looked around she found her husband beside her and their children -all of them, every one they'd had over the centuries- surrounding them with tear-filled smiles and she knew every heartache in life was worth this beautiful sight.

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A/N: I hope this was as wonderful for all of you to read as it was for me to write, I've loved looking at Hikari and Kensuke through these Sentences. For added effect while reading Prompts 46-48, listen to "SirensCeol - Faith in You", and for Prompts 49-50 search youtube for "Babylon 5 Sleeping in Light Track 6 End Title".

Prompt 49 was a homage to Babylon 5 and the way they gently told viewers that the actor who played G'kar had died by saying he had "gone exploring beyond the rim" and how John had known his borrowed time was nearing its end. I admit both the ending of B5 with decommissioning of the station and these final Sentences drew tears from my eyes.

Please, if you enjoyed these then go read both of the Asuka/Touji Sentence Challenges. While not quite as happy as my Hikari/Kensuke Sentence Challenges, I think you'll enjoy them.

Be on the lookout for a possible Weiss/Jaune Sentence Challenge once I feel more comfortable with their characters and how I want to portray them, as well as possible Asuka/Shinji and Hikari/Touji Challenges. Don't expect them too soon though. lol

For the impatient, go look at my other stories and check out my list of favorited stories.

Until next time, Dear Readers!


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